That was intense. Both the narrative in general, and the romance too.

It's the story of Ali and Beau. Ali is a doctor in a Philly Trauma Unit who is definitely not looking for love (from Radclyffe's Justice Series I think). Her past is painful to her, mostly having to do with her sister Sammy.

Beau is an EMT/Firefighter who is in one of Ali's specialty classes. She's a big player on the outside who always has some smooth and slick line for the ladies.

They hit it off like oil and water at the beginning, but, Beau keeps at it (and this is part of the novel that I didn't totally like. It was a little too much like the whole guy thing that happens in movies/TV shows where somehow no means yes eventually).

They do start a relationship, but, then there is a lot of back and forth, as they both have a lot of pain and drama in their pasts that informs their presents.

Even though this was the first in the First Responders series, I'd read others in the loose sort of series first, and I really liked them, so I wanted to try these first few.

For the most part i enjoyed this one too. And, as I said, it was an intense ride of a story. ( )

I was familiar with Radclyffe by name, but had never read any of her work before now. I was under the impression that she wrote historical fiction, but “Trauma Alert” is without doubt a contemporary romantic drama. And it is very well done - I can see why Radclyffe is so popular and prolific. The author quickly built a realistic setting; she obviously did her research and I felt like I was observing real medical professionals. The main characters are believable, and fully developed. I felt real suspense when they were involved in emergency rescues, or surgeries, and kept me turning the virtual pages to see what would happen next.

I also appreciated that the characters didn’t immediately fall into lust-filled gazes, and heightened sexual urges the moment their eyes met. The two women assessed each other, and continued with their professional responsibility like real people do. Not every romance has to start with earth shattering sexual attraction. The two women are polar opposites with their own baggage, and masks protecting who they really are inside. That is not to say that the story has no steam – this is a healthy book, not a novella parading as a novel, so readers have time to see a relationship build.

One of the best things about the writing is the way characters are matter-of-fact about their sexuality. A gay couple is treated as almost ordinary in the story, which is a refreshing break from the angst gay romances usually have. I am not sure if this is typical of F/F, or this author in particular but it was nice. Recommended. ( )